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Turn on the news and you'll hear one word yelled constantly.
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These are the same dumb Marxist ideas.
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Far left, radical, Marxist.
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Uh, Marxist.
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Marxist -Leninist, they get along.
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The Marxist left, another lunatics preaching radical ideology.
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It's blamed for everything from cultural collapse to economic decline.
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But here's the problem.
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No one ever actually explains what it is.
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I'm Dr. Alexander Matnansky.
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I'm a political scientist who studies all of the issues that everybody argues about online and tries to make sense of them.
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So today, let's tackle the ism that everybody seems to argue about online but nobody ever seems to have an answer for.
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What is Marxism?
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We interrupt this program for a special news bulletin.
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For this discussion, the natural starting point is who is Karl Marx?
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Karl Marx was a Prussian philosopher and political theorist who specialized in capitalism.
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He was particularly interested in how class was shaped by history, politics, and society.
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Now, I know we've all heard
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Marx was this mysterious revolutionary who was going to take up arms to overthrow the Western order,
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but in reality he was simply a political scientist, no different than myself.
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He was essentially just a guy up the road in Hiberian Islington here in London.
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Getting his start in the mid -1800s, he finished his PhD from the University of Vienna, which is in what is now modern -day Germany.
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And one of my favorite stories, a little bit of folklore while not proven necessarily to be true.
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After finishing his PhD defense him and his PhD supervisor stole a donkey
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and paraded their way around town wreaking havoc in celebration.
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While not necessarily true or historically accurate it kind of contextualizes how
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Marx is seen in kind of everyday folklore.
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He's a real person that behaved like everybody else that wanted to go and celebrate good times.
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He wasn't a radical revolutionary in this way.
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He was simply a guy celebrating earning a degree.
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Originally Marx considered a career in academia
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but there was a large conservative turn in Germany at the time and then he decided to pivot towards journalism.
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This kind of reflects something that's happening in the world right now where places like the United States, parts of Europe such as Hungary,
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right -wing governments have began to attempt to facilitate a right -wing turn in academia
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which has pushed out a lot of early career academics.
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It was in Paris where
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Marx would go on to meet Friedrich Engels, a lifelong collaborator.
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Engels came from a wealthy industrial family and would support
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Marx financially for much of his life.
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Engels own experience would help to contribute some insights that would ultimately develop into what is now Marxism.
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Together they would write the texts
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that would now define Marxism as a field of study and academia and would influence some revolutionaries later on,
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the most prominent of which is the Communist Manifesto, which we're gonna demystify a little bit in this video.
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Before discussing Marxism further, we need to first identify the two key forms of Marxism.
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Marxism as a part of academic literature, a theoretical critique of class structures in society, and also Marxism in practice,
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something that we see in the world.
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The scholarlyism as it is, is something that just identifies how capitalism and class structures influence large inequality throughout the world.
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Academics use this toolbook to ask who benefits?
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Why is society structured a certain way?
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So at its core
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Marxist theory is a way to understand how capitalism creates inequalities around the world.
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It focused on the relationship between two key groups, something Marx and Engels called the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.
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The bourgeoisie is those who own the means of production
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and the proletariat is those who sell their labor to make a living.
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While this is a story about greed that isn't the entire picture.
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Marx argued that capitalism itself, the structures of society, are what created the perpetual inequalities that we see.
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Those who own the means of production are in a position to continue to reproduce these balances
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and continue to perpetuate their own power on those that don't have the resources.
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So while workers generate value through their labor, they don't ever reap the benefits of this through power.
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While Marx was writing about this in the mid -1800s, we continue to see how workforces are exploited.
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This wasn't just a product of the 1800s, we're seeing this now.
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Amazon workers were prohibited from unionizing.
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This is the one way that labor can come together, influence the balance of power.
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We can use this understanding to see how ruling elites, large corporations can exploit their own power, push down working class people from unionizing.
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And if you think about it today, we are in an even more capitalized version that
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Marx likely saw.
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Every part of society is monetized.
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The second you pick up your phone, you're using a tool that was created by capitalism.
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While my iPhone might be something that I find useful and something that I can use to create my own intellectual labor,
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it's still a product of capitalism.
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And then let's take this a step further.
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The second you turn on your phone and you scroll to the nearest app, we're completely bombarded by advertisements.
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So when academics use this as a lens.
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We can see the useful elements of how capitalism continues to exploit labor,
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the labor where you go and you earn money through your job,
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and then it's continued to cycle through advertisements where you go purchase new t -shirts or we go purchase items on Amazon,
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all the while while people at the top of the ladder continue to retain the wealth,
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while those in the middle and lower portions of the ladder are unable to move upward.
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So what makes Marxism so useful?
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It doesn't just critique capitalism, it gives us useful lenses to interpret society today.
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One of my favorite examples is David Harvey's right to the city.
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David Harvey is of course a modern
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Marxist theorist and I've included a link to his piece in the show notes below.
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So essentially in Harvey's piece he looks at the city
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and he says this isn't simply just a place we live
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but it's something that's shaped by capitalism itself
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and gives examples of how everyday life has imbalances of power exploited by people
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that earn a lot of money and those that are continuing to create labor that supports the system itself.
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We could see the imbalances of power throughout the worlds.
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I'm thinking some places that I've been to myself, places that I've lived, London, Dakar, Senegal, New York, Tokyo, Mumbai, places like this.
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There are luxury accommodation alongside housing shortages throughout cities gentrification is
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when richer people move in and push out lower income folks
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and this is what harvey sees as the city
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we don't necessarily have a right to the city some people
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have the right to the city those with more resources than others the city isn't something
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that we have the right to like the freedom of speech in some cases
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but it's something that we have to live with something
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that we experience and something that we deal with on the ladders of capitalism.
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Each person, based on their background, how they look, their socioeconomic status, they all have different experiences of living in a city.
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Who gets to live where, who gets pushed out, are all affected by these capitalist structures.
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So as the Harvey piece illustrates, Marxism isn't a regime, it isn't a social movement.
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In this case, it is just a lens to critique the way we live on a daily basis.
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Marxist theory can help us identify the unequal structures of a capitalist society and how it affects everyday individuals.
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So in practice often what we're talking about in the news media or online, Marxism is quite different than how it's applied theoretically.
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An interesting point of this is a key assumption by Marx was that the so -called
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Marxist revolution or the class revolution or the socialist revolution was likely
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or in some cases could be viewed as inevitable in some parts of society
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and in some states in particular because the capitalist elites exploited the working class so much.
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An interesting point from Marx's own work is that he thought
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that the Marxist socialist the workers revolution was a likely outcome in many capitalist states.
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While Marx thought this was potentially going to happen and likely in some places, he was largely wrong.
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In some places there were Marxist -esque revolutions such as that in the Bolshevik Revolution or the Maoist Revolution.
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Even these we can see as not being perfectly
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Marxist because of the states that came out of them were in fact not Marxist states.
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While the right wing media would like you to believe that every instance of an authoritarian government, a repressive regime, were all
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Marxist, Socialist, or Communist regimes, there has not ever been an exact
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Marxist model of a government implemented in history.
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Marx never created a concrete roadmap for what an ideal state would look like.
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In many of them, he saw economic equality or workers having a large portion of power.
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So while the media itself would like you to believe that every instance of authoritarianism or repression was in fact this
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Marxist states, there wasn't a roadmap.
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Marxism just wanted economic equality and a state where workers retained their rights.
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And we've never actually seen that.
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That's the greatest fallacy of modern media is that there hasn't been a Marxist state.
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States often labeled as Marxist or socialist or communist like the Soviet Union
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or the People's Republic of China use the Marxist facade
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but in fact do not operate in any interpretation of Marxism where there is economic inequality.
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Generally these states operate with a concentrated elite at the top that enrich themselves off of the working class.
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While there have been instances of these states lifting up lower
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classes as we've seen the the rise of the middle class in China.
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This in fact still has to do with capitalism where the
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central government in China have operated within the capitalist system and in some places repressed their people.
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This was not a workers' revolution in which workers gained lots of rights and helped operate the state.
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It's in fact a concentrated center of elites that enrich themselves
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while the working class in some cases can climb up their ladder slightly,
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but continue to be subjugated by a repressive government using capitalists' apparatuses.
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Examples of this are state -owned enterprises.
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We think of state -owned gas companies like Gazprom in modern Russia.
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We think of the numerous state -owned corporations in China that usually often orient themselves around technology.
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This is not Marxism.
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This is not communism or socialism.
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This is state -ran capitalism.
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And through this, they continue to repress people while enriching themselves and gaining more and more resources.
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So rather than redistributing wealth or creating economic equality, we have entrenched elites continuing to gain resources and wealth
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while the working class gains very little semblance of power influence in society.
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This is no different than capitalist societies that are democratic throughout the world.
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You think about this in the United States where we have billionaires that are influencing elections,
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we have billionaires in Western Europe that are continuing to assert their influence.
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And just because somebody puts the facade of communism, Marxism, or socialism onto the title of their state, that does not in fact make it socialist.
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So with this we have a world shaped by capitalist structures where elites manipulate narratives around nationalism,
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ideology, to pit workers and the working lower
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and middle classes against each other so they can continue to entrench themselves in power.
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Understanding that we have not in fact had a Marxist state before,
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states that label themselves as socialists or Marxists are in fact operating within a capitalist system,
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and understanding that academics use the Marxist theory to identify systemic inequalities in society
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and understand patterns of political mobilization is useful
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because it helps us to demystify the reality of what Marxism is
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and that in fact many people in the news media
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and on social media
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that demonize Marxism are actually doing it for their own benefits to continue to entrench themselves in a system
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that supports the capitalist elites, the media elites, and to ensure that labor -based,
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class -based political action is continued to be perceived as a stain on society and something that shouldn't happen.
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So recognizing that there are two aspects of Marxism,
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the first being a critical theory used by academics to understand how capitalism creates
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and reproduces inequalities from that of the Marxism in practice where there are instances of political movements
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that created states that ultimately weren't a equal socioeconomic view of society
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and often use the Marxist
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or communist label to entrench themselves in power is a way to deepen our understanding
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and assure that people can't misuse this term for their own benefits
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and we're seeing this throughout the news media
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and on social media where capitalists economic elites want to ensure
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that working -class people don't come together
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because people together are more powerful in mass so recognizing
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that there is an academic view of Marxism that identifies capitalism
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and socio -economic inequalities from it as a understanding for patterns in society from
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that of Marxism in practice where instances of revolution use the label of Marxism but did not implement
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Marxist states helps us to ensure that people in power don't demonize this term and use it for their own benefit.
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So in sum, Marxism as a political theory is still widely used to interpret how class perpetuates inequalities,
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it helps identify patterns in places like cities that we live in, and how we live our everyday lives.
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It can help us identify who the elites are that control the resources, how labor is influenced, how we live in cities,
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and all of these are useful tools for helping academics to understand the patterns of the world.
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At the same time the term has been weaponized.
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It's thrown around as a catch -all boogeyman for all things right -wing media figures don't like.
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Cases like China and the Soviet Union are not examples of Marxism,
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but they're examples of entrenched elites using the capitalist structures of the world to their own benefits while repressing their citizens.
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So who does this actually serve?
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The rich talking heads on Fox News want you to believe that everything is fair.
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All the while, they get to go home to their Fifth Ave penthouse apartment.
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While millions of Americans struggle to put food on the table, put gas in their cars.
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Simultaneously, billionaires are infiltrating public spaces that should be where everyday citizens have access to power.
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In America, we should continue to see more plumbers,
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more electricians, computer programmers, all enter public life and pursue power through the structures that were given to them.
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We should see senators and house members that are farmers or bartenders because these public houses,
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these forms of government were built for everyday citizens to ascend to the heights of power, not for billionaires to buy their way into public office.
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When wealth becomes the only ticket to influence, we should ask the question,
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who benefits from casting working -class aspirations as radical or dangerous.
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Understanding this isn't just an academic exercise or a reinterpretation of how history has been manipulated.
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It's a way for us to move past the fear -mongering
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and question if society is structured in a way that benefits all people.
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I think it's important for us to reinterpret these key issues so we can build a society that empowers everybody.
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And with that, the more we know, the more we talk, the better future we can build.
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See you next time.
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Vocabolario e note di pronuncia per questa lezione
Questa lezione di conversazione si basa sul video “What is Marxism?”. Le parole che ritornano più spesso: Marxist, Marxism, society, Marx, capitalism. Questo video contiene 202 frasi e 2673 parole da ripetere con lo shadowing. Il parlato dura 16:31. Chi parla ha un ritmo naturale di circa 162 parole al minuto, vicino a una conversazione quotidiana. Solo il 80% delle parole rientra nelle 3.000 più comuni dell’inglese, quindi il lessico è impegnativo.
Vocaboli chiave di questo video
15 parole del video che vale la pena imparare, con pronuncia e significato:
| Parola | Pronuncia | Significato |
|---|---|---|
| capitalism sostantivo | /ˈkæp.ə.təlˌɪzm̩/ | capitalismo |
| capitalist sostantivo | /ˈkæp.ɪ.tə.lɪst/ | capitalista |
| elite sostantivo | /ɪˈlit/ | élite |
| inequality sostantivo | /ˌɪn.ɪˈkwɑ.lɪ.ti/ | disuguaglianza |
| everyday aggettivo | /ˈɛvɹiˌdeɪ/ | quotidiano, giornaliero |
| socialist sostantivo | /ˈsoʊ.ʃə.lɪst/ | socialista |
| exploit sostantivo | /ˈɛksplɔɪt/ | gesto eroico, gesta eroiche |
| label sostantivo | /ˈleɪ.bəl/ | etichetta |
| radical sostantivo | /ˈɹædɪkəl/ | radice |
| communist sostantivo | /ˈkɑ.mjə.nɪst/ | comunista |
| ladder sostantivo | /ˈlæd.ɚ/ | scala |
| billionaire sostantivo | /ˌbɪl.jəˈnɛɚ/ | miliardario |
| earn verbo | /ɝn/ | guadagnare |
| necessarily avverbio | /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/ | necessariamente, a tutti i costi |
| argue verbo | /ˈɑɹ.ɡju/ | discutere, dibattere |
I phrasal verb che sentirai
| Parola | Significato |
|---|---|
| get along verbo | andare d'accordo, ingranare |
| pick up verbo | tirare su, sollevare |
| take up verbo | sollevare, prendere |
La grammatica di questo video
Le strutture che chi parla usa di più, con le parole esatte del video:
| Struttura | Nel video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + participio passato — un’azione passata che conta ancora adesso | has pushed · I've included · I've been |
| Forma passiva be + participio passato — conta ciò che accade, non chi lo fa | was shaped · is seen · are exploited |
| Frasi relative who / which + frase — un’informazione in più su una persona o una cosa | Vienna, which is · those who own · those who sell |
Pronuncia a cui fare attenzione
Chi parla usa 38 contrazioni e forme ridotte, come don't, isn't, we're. Pronunciale nella forma breve, così come le senti.
- I suoni “th”: wealthy /ˈwɛl.θi/, theoretical /ˌθi.əˈɹɛt.ɪ.kəl/, overthrow /ˌoʊvɚˈθɹoʊ/, authoritarian /əˌθɑ.ɹəˈtɛɹ.i.ən/, theorist /ˈθiːəɹəst/
- I suoni “sh” e “zh”: socialist /ˈsoʊ.ʃə.lɪst/, regime /ɹəˈʒiːm/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, revolutionary /ˌɹɛvəˈluʃənɛɹi/, socialism /ˈsoʊʃəlɪzəm/
- Parole lunghe — attenzione all’accento: capitalism /ˈkæp.ə.təlˌɪzm̩/, capitalist /ˈkæp.ɪ.tə.lɪst/, inequality /ˌɪn.ɪˈkwɑ.lɪ.ti/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/, equality /ɪˈkwɑ.lɪ.ti/
I suoni difficili per chi parla italiano:
- /h/ — va soffiata, non è muta: historically /hɪˈstɔɹɪkli/, behave /bɪˈheɪv/, prohibit /pɹəˈhɪbɪt/, havoc /ˈhævək/, penthouse /ˈpɛnt(h)aʊs/
- Consonante finale — senza aggiungere una vocale dopo: capitalist /ˈkæp.ɪ.tə.lɪst/, elite /ɪˈlit/, socialist /ˈsoʊ.ʃə.lɪst/, exploit /ˈɛksplɔɪt/, communist /ˈkɑ.mjə.nɪst/
- /æ/ — più aperta della “e”: capitalism /ˈkæp.ə.təlˌɪzm̩/, capitalist /ˈkæp.ɪ.tə.lɪst/, radical /ˈɹædɪkəl/, ladder /ˈlæd.ɚ/, academia /ˌæk.əˈdi.mi.ə/
Come esercitarsi con questo video
- Ascolta tutto il video una volta senza parlare e annota le parole che non conosci.
- Inizia a velocità 0,75×, fai shadowing frase per frase e torna alla velocità normale quando diventa facile.
- Registrati e confronta con l’originale, facendo attenzione a parole come capitalism, capitalist, elite.
Cos'è la tecnica dello Shadowing?
Shadowing è una tecnica di apprendimento delle lingue supportata da studi scientifici, originariamente sviluppata per la formazione dei traduttori professionisti e resa popolare dal poliglotta Dr. Alexander Arguelles. Il metodo è semplice ma potente: ascolti un audio in inglese di madrelingua e lo ripeti immediatamente ad alta voce — come un'ombra che segue il parlante con un ritardo di solo 1–2 secondi. A differenza dell'ascolto passivo o degli esercizi di grammatica, lo shadowing costringe il tuo cervello e i muscoli della bocca a elaborare e riprodurre simultaneamente i modelli di discorso reale. La ricerca dimostra che migliora significativamente la precisione della pronuncia, l'intonazione, il ritmo, il discorso connesso, la comprensione dell'ascolto e la fluidità del parlato — rendendolo uno dei metodi più efficaci per la preparazione alla prova di speaking dell'IELTS e per la comunicazione reale in inglese.